Officially, linebacker Kyle Tudor is listed as “probable” and cornerback Josh Hawkins is “questionable.” As far as East Carolina coach Ruffin McNeill is concerned, he’s “hopeful” both defensive starters will be healthy enough to play against rival North Carolina on Saturday.

Tudor missed the Pirates’ most recent game, a 15-10 loss to Virginia Tech on Sept. 14, with a shoulder injury. Hawkins left that game on a stretcher after suffering a concussion while making a tackle early in the third quarter.

Both players benefitted from last week’s bye and are close to being ready to return the lineup.

ECU’s defense could use whatever boost in can get after learning Tuesday that starting nose tackle Terry Williams has been suspended indefinitely and will definitely be out for Saturday’s game in Chapel Hill. The Pirates will also be missing leading tackler Jeremy Grove, who will miss his second straight game with what is being termed a right chest injury.

Of the players that might be available, McNeill said that Tudor is the more likely to be back for UNC.

Tudor

“Kyle will get some work,” McNeill said earlier this week. “We’ll try and increase his load a little bit each day and see if he can handle it. If he can’t, we won’t play him. I love the game, but I love Kyle more. He’s a tough hombre, but if he’s not healthy, I won’t put him in the game.

“Our medical team does a great job. Kyle is a tough player. If he’s ready to go, we sure would appreciate (having) him back.

The determining factor on Hawkins’ return will be much less subjective. He must pass a test as part of ECU’s post-concussion protocol in order be eligible to get back out onto the field.

“I want it to be this way, but it’s a complicated test each week,” McNeill said. “Each day, he does a little something more and if he’s able to do that they’ll increase it. If he continues to progress through Tuesday and Wednesday, we’ll have a chance to have him back.”

Hawkins has one of the Pirates’ three interceptions this season and is among the team’s leaders with 19 tackles. His presence will be especially important against UNC’s fast-paced spread offense.

Benton

In case he’s not able to play, McNeill said he plans to lift the redshirt from freshman cornerback DaShawn Benton and begin working him into the rotation in the secondary.

“We thought about playing DaShawn earlier,” McNeill said. “He will give us an increase in athleticism on the back end. He can play corner or nickel for us.”